Containers for the storage and transport of objects are used, for example, for storing or for transporting hardware such as screws, nuts or electronic components, i.e., generally piece goods, as well as bulk materials. Containers of this type can be used as transport containers, but also as storage containers in storage systems such as high-bay storage systems. A combined utilization would also be conceivable in that containers stored in a high-bay storage system are removed from this storage system and transported to a work site in order to serve as a decentralized storage location for a certain period of time.
With known containers, a significant effort is required for ensuring that a sufficient supply of the piece goods or the bulk material is on the hand in a storage system. This requires complex logistic systems that monitor the goods input, as well as the withdrawal from individual containers, particularly for monitoring the containers without interruption. In addition, the logistic system must know the original or initial filling status of each container. Inventories need to be regularly taken by manually counting all stored articles in order to ensure that errors, which inevitably occur over time, do not lead to supply problems. The effort for such inventories, as well as the effort for monitoring the input and the withdrawal of goods from the containers in the form of a logistic system, is labor-intensive and cost-intensive. Inventories furthermore carry the risk of human errors such as, e.g., miscounts. The monitoring of the input of goods into the containers and of the withdrawal from the containers is labor-intensive and requires a correspondingly complex and therefore expensive logistic system.
It was already proposed to weigh individual containers and to obtain information on the filling status of the respective container in this way. The disadvantage of such an embodiment is the dependence of the respective container on the scales because each container would require separate scales that are also subject to restrictions at the site of the container. It is furthermore required that the scales stand on an essentially level surface in order to weigh the container as accurately as possible. The scales are also a relatively complex structure that results in additional costs. A plurality of individual scales would be required, in particular, in high-bay storage systems that contain a variety of different products and, if applicable, a variety of partially different containers. The costs for such a system therefore increase linearly with the number of containers. Starting at a certain size, the utilization of weighing systems is no longer sensible in comparison with known logistic and inventory systems in terms of costs.
EP 0 952 432 A1 discloses a system for determining a material quantity in a container. For this purpose, infrared light sources and infrared light sensors are arranged behind opposing container side walls that are transparent to infrared light in such a way that the infrared light, which is emitted into the container by the infrared light sources and absorbed or reflected by material situated in the container, can be received by oppositely arranged infrared light sensors and makes it possible to determine the filling level of the container.
DE 10 2008 027 646 A1 discloses a system for automatically controlling, among other things, the goods input into automated small parts storage systems. For this purpose, images of articles to be stored and of the small parts containers or shelf boards are captured by cameras, stored and computationally processed, wherein information on the article to be stored such as the type of article to be stored and its dimensions and on the content of the small parts containers and/or shelf boards, as well as information on the occupancy and unoccupied areas of the small parts containers or shelf boards and their dimensions, can subsequently be extracted.
DE 36 32 448 A1 discloses a method for assembling different articles of an order in a computer-controlled fashion, wherein a transport device only advances a container from a storage position to the next predefined storage position once the correct quantity of the correct article has been placed into the container. This is achieved by determining the weight and/or with an optical control of the loaded container.
DE 10 2008 060 034 A1 discloses a storage system for storing objects with a frame structure and a storage unit that can be moved relative to the frame structure in a forward and backward moving direction and features a storage surface for storing at least one object thereon. Image data of the storage surface of the storage unit is acquired during its forward and/or during its backward motion relative to the frame structure by means of an image acquisition unit. An image analysis unit connected to the image acquisition unit generates a forward documentation image from forward motion image data acquired at at least one point during the forward motion and/or a backward documentation image from backward motion image data acquired at at least one point during the backward motion. An automatic identification of erroneous withdrawals is carried out with the aid of these documentation images in that emptied sections are identified and/or objects are identified in an image-based and/or database-based fashion.